When it comes to local legends, it’s not always clear what’s real and what’s fake.

But in York County, Pennsylvania, the tale of Rehmeyer’s Hollow, with its foundations planted in witchcraft, spells and murder, has more than a shred of truth.

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The hollow is named for Nelson Rehmeyer, the man who lived in a small, two-story wooden house, tucked away in the woods of an area now known as Spring Valley Park. The house still stands today. It’s the place Nelson was murdered on Nov. 27, 1928.

Springettsbury Township horror author Brian Keene has studied the events that happened at the house and even incorporated some of them into his fiction.

Blymire’s belief that he had been hexed prompted him to seek the advice of Nellie Noll, known as the Marietta River Witch. Noll told Blymire that she could lift the curse if he did two things:

1. Steal Rehmeyer’s spellbook "The Long Lost Friend" and burn it

2. Cut a lock of Rehmeyer’s hair and bury it 6-feet in the ground

Blymire took the "witch’s" advice, and what happened next shook the state and made national headlines.

Along with the help of two accomplices, Blymire broke into Rehmeyer’s house. While inside, a struggle ensued and the men strangled and beat Rehmeyer to death. They then tried to cover up their crime by setting him on fire.

But somehow, the flames blew out and there was enough of Rehmeyer’s body left to charge the men. All three were convicted of murder. They came to be known as the "York Hex Slayers."

And then the stories started…

There have been reports of smoke coming from the vacant house in Rehmeyer’s Hollow. Some say Nelson’s spirit haunts the area.

"The stories have cast a shadow over this part of the county," said Keene.

Keene says he’s met people who’ve reported seeing a black dog with red eyes lurking in the forest and some have reported UFO sightings.

The area in-and-around Rehmeyer’s Hollow has a reputation of being "bad grounds."

"I’ve always tried to do for Pennsylvania what Stephen King did for Maine by incorporating our local stories and places in my work," said Keene.

During his research, Keene said he found that the area around the home was known to have been avoided by Native American tribes.

"It has been said that their mentally ill and violent were camped in the woods," he said.

Keene also points out misconceptions about Nelson Rehmeyer, most notably that he was not a "witch." He says Rehmeyer was practicing "pow-wow," and was a type of Pennsylvania Dutch shamanic healer. Keene even has a copy of the spellbook, which was brought by German settlers to Pennsylvania.

"From what I understand, Rehmeyer was practicing homeopathic medicine - there’s no ’eye of newt, wing of bat’ type recipes in the book, although there are incantations," Keene said.

The same book can now be purchased on Amazon.com for less than $10.

Here’s the description: "Written by a Pennsylvania Dutch healer in the 1820s, this book is a collection of rural home remedies and folk invocations. Pow-wow is a unique creole of Christian theology and a shamanistic belief system. It is believed to have been brought over to America by German immigrants who practiced folk-magic."

Today, the windows of the house are boarded up and "No Trespassing" signs line the property. York County native and WGAL photojournalist Andy Manifold believes Rehmeyer’s house will remain a part of local folklore.

"It’s always been one of those stories that’s brought up around Halloween," said Manifold. "Even though the trial explained what happened there, there’s still an air of mystery about the area."

A local fire company, North Hopewell-Winterstown, hosts a hayride and tour of the site in October.

Most recently, the hollow has caught the attention of a documentary film crew. The name of the film is "Hex Hollow."